


Forgotten Dawn

by yamaMogi



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Ereri (past), M/M, eruri - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-28
Updated: 2014-08-04
Packaged: 2018-02-10 20:04:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2038275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yamaMogi/pseuds/yamaMogi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi stood, his back against the wind.  Steam clouds were beginning to engulf his small stature as his hands gripped the blades in his hands, blood running down right arm, his Survey Corps cape wrapping around his chest.<br/>The shrieks of the titans echoing in his ears as he stared ahead of him, his mare pawing into the soil, looking for some sort of herd to subside his hunger. The horse’s mane whipped around against the shrill howls of the wind as the birds’ cries faded into the background.<br/>…<br/>His tomorrow would be one step closer to the notion he schemed up every night as he watched the day end from his room. He’d not forget the dawn that would be approaching soon enough.<br/>...<br/>Eren is killed, leaving Levi to turn to someone he has been behind all along, though not with obstacles standing in his way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Levi stood, his back against the wind.  Steam clouds were beginning to engulf his small stature as his hands gripped the blades in his hands, blood running down right arm, his Survey Corps cape wrapping around his chest.

The shrieks of the titans echoing in his ears as he stared ahead of him, his mare pawing into the soil, looking for some sort of herd to subside his hunger. The horse’s mane whipped around against the shrill howls of the wind as the birds’ cries faded into the background. 

Levi’s chest was rising and deflating slowly, the blood on his arm beginning to warm his whole body.  His stomach churning, reaching through his abdomen, as if there were an animal stuck, wanting to escape his prison. Rolling his neck around, levi’s ears flinched as the whimper he heard a few meters off.

Mikasa’s voice was very audible against the wind and the screaming in Levi’s stomach, or the pounding in his chest. Drums. He was hearing drums. The thought was distant, but still blinding his vision. Where were the drums coming from?

The clouds that had formed around him, blinding Levi from his steed began to fade, revealing the raven haired Mikasa, her knees had apparently given away considering her kneeling state, and her blades drawn, unused. Her eyes were fixated on a single point, past the fog, past the blond soldier off to her left.  Fixed on a single entity as her breaths turned shallow and her body began to shake.  The sound coming from her mouth broke the trance.

Levi whipped his head around, the wind allowing his bands to be flown around, revealing the pink that had stained his cheeks. Blinking a few times, Levi registered the look on Mikasa’s face. The piercing rage in her sheirks and most of all the tears that began to blemish her pale skin.

“Eren!” she screamed, her blades falling to the ground, her hands finding the ground under her.

Levi’s throat began to bob. The wind changing directions, momentarily masking Mikasa in a vision of red, her scarf twirling and turning, dancing with the blazing sun. _Eren…_

The yellow lump to the right of Mikasa began to stir, causing Levi to pull at the blades on his hips.  Instinct taking over. Armin turned over, his groan lost to the crying girl. He rolled himself on his back, his hands reaching for his head, the blood still warm, and clumping his golden locks.

Mikasa’s scream still resonating within him, Levi swallowed hard, tasting blood. His teeth had found their way to the inside of his check. How long had he been standing here?

Opening his mouth, he tried to say something, but he was lost. His words caught in his throat, he dropped his head.

Armin’s groan found a way to his ears this time.  It was over.  It was over. And he had lost.

Levi threw the blades back into his gear and with trembling hands and shaking legs, he began to walk towards the fallen Armin.  His fingers seemed to turn into ice as her felt the boy’s face, avoiding the blood that seemed to be coming from no where, at least nowhere he could see in the mess that was his head.

“Fuck,” he finally managed to say, taking the boy into his arms.  Armin was about Levi’s size, but the man didn’t waver under the weight of the larger boy.  He had to do this.

“Mikasa,” his voice was sharp, thick with undertones he himself couldn’t name.  “You can sit there all night. Waiting for these scum to wake or you can pull your ass out of the dirt, brush yourself off, and come back with me.” His grey eyes were once more focused on his horse, having found some sort of snack to tide him over.  The wind had finally settled, leaving the chestnut mane at ease.

Mikasa said nothing. Her sobs replacing whatever words she’d wanted to say. Instead she leaned back, her hands still buried in the soil, her fingers numb from the stones she’d seemed to be gripping.

“It’s your fucking choice,” Levi said calmly, not wanting his voice to betray him once more.  “But what do you think he’d want.”  Jerking his head towards the titan bones, clearly visible not that the steam had run out.

Eren’s face came to mind. His smile, his laugh, his shaggy brown hair that was hiding his blushed cheeks as he fiddled with his fingers.

Levi regretted mentioning the idea as soon as the words left his lips. He saw Mikasa arched her back and throw her head back.  Her brown????? Eyes completely glazed over, fresh tears defiling her face.

“It’s up to you,” Levi began to walk about, his stomach still wanting to turn itself inside out. “I’m taking Armin before he gets worse.” The whistle was high and the pitch went up right at the end, signaling his horse, whose ears flickered, and legs began to move not even seconds after Levi had finished his call.

Clumsily, as though her legs had been replaced by those of a rag doll, Mikasa dragged her body forward and up.  Her head rolled around, pivoting on her neck. She too whistled, her lower and a bit longer than her captain’s, but moments later a horse came galloping towards her. 

Looking over his shoulder, Levi took in a deep breath. This was it. It was over, he thought to himself, the feeling in his stomach finally hitting him in his chest. Armin’s body laid against him, burning in his current state, but Levi felt nothing. Nothing but coldness and his heart was pounding in his ears. _Eren…_

The black? Flare gun had altered Hanji, but by the time Mikasa had pulled the trigger, the three were halfway to the wall.  Soon enough their team would be behind them, racing through the sea of titans, everyone ready for the lost words and warm beds to escape into.

Armin’s small body bounced against Levi’s as he rode through the open fields, eying the wall that was fast approaching.  The sun had yet to reach the wall, almost setting, but there were plenty of hours left in the day. Plenty of oppurtunities for titans to rise up against the three of them, weak, bloody, and broken.

“Left,” Mikasa barked out as her eyes saw a herd of titans dragging their feet, heading direction opposite of them, but it was never too late to be careful.  And through her scarf, wrapped up to the rims of her eyes, Levi could see the distraught disbelief of his teammate.  Her black eyes were sharp, slanted, darting left and right, still in fight mode, but he saw it, trying to escape, or maybe it already had, hidden behind the cotton of the muffler that seemed to be flying against the wind.

Whipping his head back forward, steering his mare to the left, Levi’s mind began to wander.  His eyes were glazed over, staring at the top of the wall. Less than two hours until they arrived, he assumed, digging the heels of his combat boots into the ribs of his ride.

Two more hours until it was over. This pain would subside, leaving his unusually offhanded banter and his hands freed from the stench of titan blood. The idea began to swarm his head. Titan blood. Titans don’t bleed to stain, they bleed in death and are gone with the whirls of the wind. 

Looking down at his hands. He remembered. It wasn’t over. Not yet. Nor would it ever be. He left Eren’s body, half eaten and lost in the mouth of a 10 meter high beast.  The monster’s stomach would be empty now, Levi thought remembering the slice of his blade between his fingers. The impact of the collision, the faint smell of Eren’s life being taken out and thrown around.

Stained with blood, Levi tried to remember to whom it belonged… was he bleeding? Armin suffered some sort of attack, but he had been cured of the flowing long before Levi took him into his arms.  _Eren…_ he thought to himself, when did I…and his thoughts were cut short as Mikasa’s steed was nearly half a meter away, her arm extended, nearly slapping the captain in the face.

“I said more west!” she bellowed as Levi followed the path of her fingers. A group of three titans were heading straight towards them, running, racing one another, the first to reach the destination feasted like a king.

Levi clicked his tongue in disgust as he looked back down at his hands, the blood beginning to chip where his knuckles had been clutching the reins. “Filthy beasts,” he muttered looking back at Mikasa’s distressed vision. The serene sense of calm that had plagued her face for years vanished, her eyes revealing a story Levi had never heard of. 

The thought soon vanished Levi’s mind, replaced by strategy and Erwin’s voice echoing in his ears.  He needed a tactic.  He needed to avoid fighting these three oncoming obscenities, but also had to avoid the group that they’d seen moments earlier; all the while making progress towards the wall. 

Splitting up was completely out of the question, no need in loosing someone else unnecessarily. “How much air do you have left, Akerman?”           he sneered, looking over to his left at the slow menses that’d witnessed earlier. They had stopped moving and were idling waiting for nothing, merely standing, staring at the sky. “Morons.”

“Three quarters of a tank…” Mikasa snapped back, hearing the degrading tone of her captain’s voice.  “I didn’t move much…” her voice trailed off as one of the far left titans shrieked into the sky.

Levi’s neck cracked in protest as his gaze fell on the slow beasts that stood still. That was the only chance they had with just Mikasa able to fight, he thought to himself.  His tank had to be nearing empty and beside, Levi glanced down briefly, Armin had shown no signs of being able to properly ride a horse if left alone.  Although Levi’s eyes darted to the blond’s gear.  Armin had used just as much as Mikasa before falling to the ground, unconscious.  Even if he switched positions with Mikasa in order to fight, there was no garentee he could take them on, not as his forearms screeched in pain at simply holding the reins.

“Captain Levi,” Mikasa’s voice warned as her weight shifted to one side, she was ready to jump if need be.  The way the three titans were raging towards them, the scent of fresh blood still lingering on their clothes.

“Take Armin.”  One of his arms fell from the horse’s neck and nudged at Armin’s unmoving body.  Flexing his thighs, giving the animal a squeeze, Levi mounted himself as he allowed his other hand to pick Armin up and move him closer to Mikasa. Following lead, Mikasa gripped her own horse with precision, but her eyes shot back at the oncoming titans. The ground under them began to shake with their weight. They were getting too close.

Now, with Armin securely positioned against Mikasa’s chest, Levi’s quick hands released the gas canisters, allowing his own to drop and tumble under them, getting lost in the dust clouds behind them.

“Move west,” Levi pulled once more at the reins of his, shifting the mare at his will.  “I’ll go forward and distract these morons.  You should be fine as long as you don’t catch the idiots’ attention.” His chin jutted towards the small group, one of which had fallen to the ground and was grabbing at the flowers, his clumsy hands looking as though he were missing the target as he continued to stare into his hand after each attempt.

Shifting her eyes to the right, Mikasa saw the titans, looking stupider than the average beast, but her head shook as though she was being swung around by her gear’s cables. “What? That’s absurd!” she choked out.

“It should be fine… you’re going too fast for them to properly realize what’s going on anyways.  Now go!” Levi barked as his body leaned to the left, towards the three speeding monsters. It was now or never. He didn’t have much to lose after this anyways.

With unspoken digression Mikasa pulled right and forward, her eyes focused now on the small group that had their backs turned away from them.  Cranking her neck a bit she saw Levi still racing forward, the titans seemingly ignoring him; but if they were ignoring Levi, that meant they were coming straight towards them.  Leaning forward, MIkasa could feel the heat in her face, the sting in her eyes, and the pounding in her eyes.  She couldn’t hear anything but the fast-moving thunder of her own pulse.  Like the second hand on a clock, it kept beat with the steps of the titans’.

For a brief moment, Levi closed his eyes and took in a deep breath through his nose, the stench of dirt, horse shit, and death causing his brows to furrow in disgust, but just as soon as he’d inhaled, his mouth opened in a sharp exhale and his eyes shot open with the rage of a dozen fallen lives. 

Before he had a chance to pull out his blades and strike the running beast, his mind flashed Isabel’s bright auburn hair.  Her eyes lost in a smile, quickly streaming with blood, the luster and love lost from her eyes as her throat choked on her words.  Her voice was distant, but clearer than Levi remembered that day.  His name escaping her frosted eyes, head rolling over through the grass.

Before he realized what he was doing, his body was flying through the air, the titans had, as he predicted, ignored his presence, as though they smelled Armin’s blood, or wanted to see the group who was essentially frolicking through the flowers.  His cable locked onto the largest of the three and he spun around, the being beginning to fall as he aimed at the one to his right, hitting the temple, and before he realized it, he was falling again, this time his fear not catching him.

His eyes darted around, looking for the cause, and the smallest of the three, now two, was batting at Levi’s cables, at his torso, trying desperately to grab him. The screams escaping him sounding hurt.

“What the fuck,” groaning, Levi arched his back and did a backflip between his wires, aiming the second cable towards the swatter. “I don’t have time for this bullshit,” he muttered, his fingers clicking the switch, lurching his body forward.  He landed on the small titan’s head, and just as he felt the wind encircle him, he saw the least throwing his arm back, slowing down as it did so, swinging and grabbing at the back of its neck.

Smirking Levi grappled down the neck and felt the meat being cut and rendered at his hand.  The blade glided down just a meter away from where Levi needed to cut before breaking off in its neck. Swearing under his breath, Levi speared his other hand in quickly, losing his balance and nearly dropping his bladless grip.

“Damnit!” it took no time at all for him to replace a new blade, leaving little room for error, but he’d underestimated his opponent.  Without him taking note of his surroundings, the beast had come to a standstill and was beginning to swat at the nape of his neck. 

“You fuckers never quit, do you?” taking a leap of the best’s neck, Levi adjusted his arms, blades close and felt the thick blood of the titan cover his hands before he was falling to the ground once more.  Only one left.

Taking aim, Levi peered through his open legs, mid spin to see the titan was gone. The third was much farther ahead, running towards Mikasa.

As his body slammed against the remains of his kill, nails shot through this lungs.  His breath was lost in the wind as his eyes focused in on a far off girl riding a horse a bit too big for her small build.  The power that lies within that small body, Levi whistled, signaling for his horse, the realization of his thoughts brought back Eren’s face and the words he’d said far too often behind closed doors.

Second later, Levi was sitting up, trying to catch his breath as it had been knocked out and both his back and shoulders ached from the fall.  Ignoring the searing jolts through his lower back, Levi jumped up and threw his leg over his ride.  Mikasa could handle herself, but the chances of the attack and screaming not notifying the small group of oafs seemed impossible.

But Levi thought, “I spoke too soon.”

Mikasa’s scarf was a glint in the distance and it twirled and grew longer against the pink in the sky.  Her body moved quikly and her hair, a black dot in the distance, was soon covered by what looked like blood and Levi’s stomach sank, hitting the bottom of his bladder.

The scarf.  Mikasa landed on her feet, her horse just a few meters away, Armin’s body upright, but leaned over. Had he waken up?

The scarf detangled from her raven hair as she was jumping on the horse behind Armin, his hands gripping the reins, leaning forward, trying to accelerate before the flower beasts noticed.

Ten minutes of riding, keeping his eyes on the chestnut mare Armin was steering, later Levi met with his team, none of them ready or words.  None of them breathing normally, and their horses seemed to slow as the weight in their chests grew.

Erwin’s eyes fell to his window, the tip of his pen creating a pool of black ink of the report he was writing up for Pixis. He paid no attention to the black spot as his eyes traced the sun, glowing behind the pale walls that nearly blocked his view of the pinks and orange that were taking over the sky behind it. Soon enough the sun would be gone, leaving a faint hint of conclusiveness to his work, with just a hint of fire in his blue eyes. The fight for tomorrow, until he could watch tomorrow’s sun set with the same blues turning to purple, pink, orange, casting shadows against wall Maria and leaving the town at a deceitful peacefulness.  Until dawn came once more, the same oranges and blues, this time choosing to bring the lights of destruction and death rather than the hope of another sunset. Until he found a way.

Looking back to his paper, Erwin’s hand twitched as he dropped his quill to the side, out of his way.  Throwing his elbow to the table he rested his head against his palm, his tomorrow would be one step closer to the notion he schemed up every night as he watched the day end from his room. He’d not forget the dawn that would be approaching soon enough.

Faint footsteps cooed in the hall beyond his door, but before he could focus on anything other than his window, the door was thrown open, smacking the wall opposite ricocheting the clang through his ears, snapping Erwin out of his thoughts.

Standing to his feet in outrage and the unannounced intrusion, Erwin’s voice boomed through the room, chasing after the ricochet. “What is going on?”

Levi stood, facing the commander, his pale face riden of any emotion, as per usual, Erwin thought to himself.  Although it was unlikely of Levi to make much sound entering the room, and Erwin saw his eyes, glazed over, cloudy much unlike the day had been.

“Levi?” he raised his eyebrows.

“Eren’s dead.  Hanji isn’t back yet.  Akerman, Alert, and myself managed not to kill outselves, but Armin is down in the medicine room.”  Levi turned whipping his cape towards Erwin as the words floated around his head, the commander unable to reach for them.

Just as Levi raised his leg to walk away, Erwin grabbed the forest green cape and yanked him into the room, slamming the door, blocking the easiest exit.

Erwin loosened his grip as Levi’s arms remained at his side, lax in spite of the situation. The captain left his back to Erwin, watching the pink in the sky turn darker as the sun was nearly gone. “Excuse me?  Did you just say Eren died?  Was he killed by a titan?”

His body tense, Levi nodded once, sharp and hard, his hair not fast enough to keep up with the jerk of his head.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Erwin began to walk around the motionless captain “How? What happened?”

 


	2. Chapter 2

“The sun hasn’t even hit the wall yet!” Eren’s voice echoed through the dining hall as his comrades began exiting in small groups, their faces bleak with the thought of the day ahead of them.  No one spoke, no one looked back at Eren, except the only other two who had been sitting down, and for quite some time, waiting for Eren to make an appearance.

“Is that why you were so late?” Armin asked, pushing his bread towards the complaining brunette.

“You saved me this?!” Eren yelped, picking the bread up and breaking it in half, shoving it in his mouth. 

Watching her brother destroy the small loath, Mikasa’s eyes jumped to the door, where some of the last soldiers had made their departure. “What kept you so long, Eren?”

Stopping mid-chew, Eren’s eyes fell to the floor, his cheeks growing pink under the pressure. “I-uh-overslept this morning,” he mumbled out, beginning to chew again, this time much slower.

“You weren’t in your bunk this morning?” Armin questioned, stacking the empty tray with Mikasa’s. His voice showed no sign of accusation or elevated pitch, but Eren’s face resembled an apple as he responded.

“I got distracted with wanting to kill those bastards!” he barked out, no other reasoning or context to his late arrival.

“What are you three still doing here?” the voice, low, caused all three to turn their heads towards the door. “We’re leaving soon, get your asses out there.” Levi had his arms crossed, staring at them with razors in his eye, studying the empty mess hall.

“Ye-yes, Captain!” Armin stood up, knocking his knee against the table.  He ran to put his tray away properly and ran past Levi, rushing through the hallway.

“Come on Eren,” Mikasa stood slowly, side-glancing Levi.  His back was straight, his arms crossed loosely at his chest, and his grey eyes flickered towards Eren.

“Jaeger, what were you doing, causing you to be so late?” Levi took a few steps into the room, crinkling his nose a bit.  Whether it was at the smell or disgust he had for tardiness, Mikasa wasn’t entirely sure.

“So-sorry, Captain Levi!” Eren squeaked, his words smothered by the rest of the bread, bits falling down his chin. 

“Wipe your face off,” he sneered, dropping his arms to his hips.

Using both hands, Eren smeared his hands against his face, trying to get everything in one swipe. “I seemed to over sleep, my bed being a bit warmer than usual, I guess, Captain.” Eren’s voice smoothed, his words coming in waves rather than spurts.

“You guess, huh?” Levi shifted his weight to one leg, looking over at Mikasa’s waiting figure.

“Mikasa, go on ahead, I have to run to the bathroom anyways—”

“Why don’t you hurry your ass up,” Levi interrupted, turning around before removing his hands from his hips. “I expect to see you both shortly.”  There was no falter in his voice, calmness came swooning over the room, it gave both Mikasa and Eren chills.

***

The door to the bathroom creaked open as Eren rushed through, his boots clocking through, like a clock had been stepped on and refused to keep beat.

His hands were at his belt buckle as he closed his eyes. It had been a long night, a quick morning, and he didn’t know when he would get to come back and use a real bathroom again.  The idea made his shoulders tense up as he reached for his belt buckle once more, finished.  Though, the door sounded as though the window had caught it, barely humming as it shut once more.  Before Eren had a chance to look over, to see whether the window was letting in a draft, his waist and buckle now caught between two arms.

His heart instantly began beating like drums in his ears as he felt the flare grow in his groin. “Shit,” he groaned, leaning into the body that had been pressed against him.  The familiar heat ran up his back, straight to his face, as the hands were grabbing at his belt, turning him around with a jerk.

“You guess, huh?” the voice reaffirmed, his lips in Eren’s ear as the brunette turned to face the assailant. “You didn’t want to fucking leave,” Levi accused, his hands laced into Eren’s belt.

“Levi,” Eren breathed, his own arms running up the man’s back, finding hold at the bottom of the brown Survey Corps jacked. Eren smirked as he felt his raven haired partner shudder, his lips still pressed at Eren’s ear. “Levi,” Eren spoke again, waiting for the tremble under his hands, “Being scolded by the captain is a cheap trip.”

Levi’s head shot back, now staring up into Eren’s green eyes, his gaze like grey ice, freezing the brunette, “Didn’t like that, Jaeger?” Levi pressed himself forward, his groin slightly lower and he could feel the pressure of Eren against his abdomen. His hands fell from Eren’s belt loops and glided up to the back of his hair line; with nimble finger, Levi ran his hands through the bright brown hair, causing a little moan to escape Eren’s lips as he further entangled his digits, pulling back a bit. “I didn’t like my room being filthy when I went back,” he scoffed, yanking at Eren’s neck, pulling him but a centimeter from his face, their noses touching.

Levi lifted his chin up and leaned forward, his lips unrelenting as Eren opened his mouth.  The invitation, though Levi arched his back as Eren’s hands found the small of his back, was turned down. Pulling back once more, Levi grabbed Eren’s hair, feeling the silk between his fingers, he jeered once more, “We don’t have time for this,” Levi’s right hand dropping, cupping Eren’s inner thigh, and gliding up until he felt the heat emitting from Eren’s penis, the seams of his pants thinning. Levi’s hand once more slid over the crotch of the boy’s pants, this time a little rougher, causing Eren’s hip to thrust forward as his eyes turned to slits, plea moistening his lips.

“Levi, don’t—”

Levi immediately dropped both his hands, finding a place for them on his own hips once more. “You’re late,” he smirked, only half of his lips moving forward as his chest deflated.  His eyes drifted from Eren’s blushed face down to his heaving chest, and further to his stomach, his shirt ruffled, coming up from his belt.

He turned, dropping his hands, his eyes fading into a deep steel once more. Before he could reach the door, Eren’s hand reached his shoulder, throwing him around, knocking Levi’s petite body against the wooden entrance. Eren pinned him against the wall, watching Levi’s defense system drop, his arms lower, shoulders become less rigid, and the pale features of his face, widen. 

“That’s not fair, Levi,” he huffed, colliding his own lips with his captain’s. Eren’s hand found its way under Levi’s thigh, pulling his body up a bit, before his other hand reached around to his back, tugging the smaller man forward.

Eren opened his lips, tasting the mint that had remained from after breakfast.  His tongue slipped through Levi’s teeth, searching quickly to strike him down.  Levi gasped for air, biting down on Eren’s lip gently before Eren let him go.

“You fucking shit,” Levi breathed out, his brows pulling together, sounding like a horse that had just been defeated in a race.

Eyes fixated on Levi’s lower stomach, Eren himself was as a loss for words.  It was too early for this, and their game of cat and mouse had not only made them both late to the gathering, but had left them eager with fire in their eyes. 

Both men stood, staring at the other, nearly a meter between separating them now, chests bouncing up and down, their hearts about to jump out.

Levi’s arms finally reached up to fix the hair that had faulted out of place, “Where’d you learn that trick?” pink still in his face, his hands reached up to his neck, the cravat being pulled and tucked back to its per usual.

“You think this is funny?” Eren groaned, pulling at the crotch of his pants. “I have to go fucking kill titans with my dick on fire because of you!” he accused.

The smirk returned to Levi’s face as he turned around.  “See you on your horse.”  He opened the door and stepped out, looking down the empty hallway, “Don’t let him bounce too much.” He was gone.

***

“Why are we here so early?” Eren’s voice broke the patter of the horses racing through the meadows, towards the forest that was barely visible from atop wall Maria.

“If we can get halfway there while the titans sleep, we have a better survival rate,” Armin yelped over his shoulder, staring back at Mikasa and Eren, hair hard pressed against their faces, regardless of the speed of their stallions.

“What about these small groups!” Eren piped up once more, the howling wind catching his question and throwing it back in his face.

Armin cranked his head once more, this time taking in Levi’s determination as he answered. “This is the same concept as our prior strategies,”—his hair was swept back, the wind swirling around his raven black hair, as though it would take flight if provoked— “with the flare guns, but in smaller groups, there is a higher chance of escape”—his steel eyes resembled ice as they focused forward, taking in the night that had unveiled itself hours prior—“and less causalities.  Hanji believes that this will cover more ground, expanding the knowledge, especially in regards to their sleeping habits”—the cape behind him a flash of forest green, revealing weapons that clanked against his hips, taut as to not fall from him steed.

Eren raised an eyebrow as Armin’s words pierced his ears, faint as the soft spoken words fought for power in the hours before dawn.  The blond may have been talking to Eren, but his concentration seemed to be on Levi, who’s back was curved into a perfect semi-circle, leaning into the horse for optimal speed; his body rigid but unmoving under the rivets of the ground beneath the hooves.  Eren knew why Armin was staring, although he couldn’t see Levi’s eyes, he knew the potency that had been stitched into the pools of overcast years and years ago.  The concentration of keeping an eye on all aspects of his surroundings.  This conversation was not audible to him, Eren was sure.

“Is this Hanji’s stand for humanity then? She’s willing to take on responsibility for all of this?” Mikasa spoke up, leaving Eren’s mouth open, interrupted.

“Hanji’s vision of the future is just as bleak as everyone’s,” Levi’s voice came as a tremor, breaking Mikasa’s accusation before she had a chance to say much else. “She can see the death but she can also see the value of a life, even that of one of these filthy fucking creatures,” he continued, his grip tightening on the reins.

“Is that why Erwin didn’t come out with us today?”

“Mikasa, don’t start problems this early—”

The sun began to creep over the horizon, blues and black being overpowered by the faint oranges and yellows that seemed to welcome every day.

Glancing back at Eren, then at Mikasa, Levi’s eyes were lost underneath the disarray that had become his hair, “Shut the hell up.”

Turning his head, cheeks glowing with the new addition of heat on their backs. Mikasa glimpsed over at Eren, his head hanging as though his mother had just finished scolding him.  Her gaze landed back to Levi, his head facing forward once more, lost to the world.

***

“Captain Levi, don’t you think it’s strange we’ve yet to see a titan, or even hear one?” Armin looked over his shoulder, the sun was not yet directly above them, but it was approaching quickly. “There haven’t been any flares, on top of that…” he trailed over, waiting for an interruption to answer his question.

“It does have an eerie stillness,” Mikasa spoke up, loud enough to be heard over hooved beating into the grass, but Eren had to lean in, in order to make out her exact syllables.

Biting the inside of his cheek, Levi felt his stomach drop and his head ached with the passing hours of thoughts echoing in his ears.  They were right, and he’d been waiting, anticipating, an attack, or a noise, or even the familiar sign of green smoke in the air, but nothing had come, and here it was, nearing midday, with no sign of anything.  There was an unnerving serenity to the air, a calm that he had never seen outside these walls.

The thoughts in his head never managed to make it out his lips, as Eren’s battle cry broke the horse’s running pattern, replacing Levi’s urge to find hope beyond the walls with gut-wrenching hatred towards the beasts that were slowing killing humanity. 

“What the fuck—” tugging back on his reins, Levi’s horse spun around, the familiar sharp whip and crack of 3DMG being launched into the air.  Seconds later, the ground shook as a titan fell a few meters from where he had turned his stallion around, Eren flying down, off the back of the titan, his eyes glazed and blood beginning to vaporize off his arms and extended blades. 

“Where did this even come from!” Eren shouted over the beating in his chest.

Cringing, Levi whipped his body around, pulling at the horse to follow suit, looking to see if the monster had been traveling alone, or if the titan had had a pack.  The stillness had returned, rendering the wind flightless, grass unmoving.

“Something’s wrong.  Armin, fire the flare.”

“Shouldn’t we have Eren transform?” Mikasa recoiled at the idea, but she continued with the suggestion, “I’ve notice the same things, Captain, and this way, we are more protected then—”

The red smoke whistled out of the gun, signaling the Survey Corps of the impending doom. “That’d be stupid. The titans would swarm.  No reason to cause Eren’s form so much concern, not yet.”

There was a gust of wind, pulling at Mikasa’s scarf, her hands flying forward to catch the garment from flying away, and as she raised her eyes to focus one more on her surroundings, she was greeted by a mass of the titans. All at least eight meters tall, standing over them, forming a barrier of tan naked bodies.

“Mother fucker, what was that?” Eren squealed, turning his back in towards his team, crouching slightly.

“Captain?” Amrin choked, also jumping down from his horse, arming himself.

“Levi?” Eren’s right hand brushed his captain’s hip as Levi followed his team, shoulders nearly touching, forming a small square in the sea of the beasts.

“Eren, if you bite your hand, we might all die under your weight, and the blow,” his eyes, wide with disbelief, darted between the titans, thinking of a way to distract them enough to take any sort of shot.

“We die if we sit here, idly,” Amrin’s body shifted, wanting to turn and face his friends.

“Fire a flare,” Levi barked.

Before anyone had time to process, Mikasa’s arm extended in the air, blowing black smoke, clearly visible against the clouds that had begun to cover overhead. 

“Go!” Levi watched the three titans he could clearly see raise their heads, following the sound and light of their dinner’s toy.

The gear shot forth, Levi arched his back, his legs pulled tight behind him as he pulled his body closer, at a sharp angle, creating a spin in the air.  The body under him bounced off the ground as he swung to the right, pulling his blades back.  Before he had the chance to tighten his grip and spin mid-air, his chest felt heavy as it smacked against the titan’s forearm.

The smoke hadn’t distracted all the titans, as Mikasa and Eren were hanging by their maneuvering gear, piñatas to these beasts.  Levi, too, was in the grips of a titan, he hadn’t been quick enough to strike the second one before he had been caught.

He felt his hips begin to grind under him, his screams bellowing out, breaking the titans of their jabbering moans for food. The titan had brought his thumb and index finger together between Levi’s hips and was rolling it over between the fingers.

“Die under Eren, or here now!” Armin screamed somewhere Levi’s eyes couldn’t reach.

Levi screamed again, the pain running through his spine, making his vision blur and begin to spark white.

“Eren!!” He yelped.

Eren watched in terror, his eyes widening as Levi’s petite body was being crushed under the pressure of a giant’s touch.  His vision blurred red as he yanked as the wires. Twisting left and right, he pulled free from the titan, falling his hand flew to his mouth, seconds away from saving not only his friends, but Levi as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been working very diligently in writing everyday, at least a couple hundred words, because I really would love to finish this completely, as it has been a long time since I've written much of anything. As you can see I am neither skilled in the art of writing fight/action/sex scenes, so let's see how this goes.
> 
> Also, I don't really ship, at all, Eren and Levi, but this idea came to me, and it was too good to pass up, as I've written parts in the middle and the end... anyways. Hope all was enjoyed. I have no set schedule for updating yet, but I have one more week of work, a week of vacation, then I'm going back to school, a wedding, then Japan...so bear with me until around the middle of September, before I can get settled. Thanks!!

**Author's Note:**

> Yup. So.  
> I haven't actually written anything in years, but after reading so much Eruri lately and being brought back to the wonderful world of fanfiction, I've found myself eager to put my own ideas to the test once more. I have actually never written an action scene, or intimate scene before, so my apologies if anything seems to be out of place or awkward sounding T_T  
>  No guarantees of finishing this, as I am about to start my senior year of college, abroad of all things, but I'll keep trying my best. Best wishes. And thank you.


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